In 2014 thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers and BEFAR Group Co. LTD signed a contract for the construction of an 80,000 mtpa caustic soda plant at Binzhou City, Province of Shandong, P.R. China.

This plant is the world’s first based on the NaCl ODC technology owned by thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers and jointly developed with Covestro (Germany).

This new, highly energy-efficient technology reduces energy consumption by up to 25% compared to the conventional membrane cell process. For the planned plant, this corresponds to an indirect reduction of annual CO2 emissions by up to 35,000 metric tons.

“We are proud to be the first engineering company to launch this revolutionary technology in such an important market as China,” said Dr. Albert Zimmermann, Managing Director of thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers (Italia). “As a technology company we are always looking for solutions that are of economic and ecological benefit to our customers. This first order proves that our NaCl ODC technology has potential in the global chlor-alkali market.”

The project will be implemented in two phases. The first phase, with a capacity of 40,000 mtpa chlorine, was commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2015.